entry 005: the battle of personal style vs ‘-cores’
“corpcore” “coquettecore” “balletcore” omg i am tired. it seems like every season a new ‘-core’ is taking over and ravaging the diversity of my pinterest feed. with the speed of the trend cycle moving faster than ever, it feels so hard to keep a wardrobe that feels current. i’m constantly trying to remind myself that developing a sense of personal style is more important than keeping up with here today, gone tomorrow’s trend. but it can be so hard to fight the urge to make that impulse buy when you’ve seen those cute shoes 100 times this past week. at this point, it’s my subconsious making the purchase, not me.
my ideal style is constantly changing, and i have to question how influenced i am by cores, aesthetics, and the newest trend. i want my personal style to flatter my body type, and reflect the type of person i am. but i continue to feel easily swayed by the current trend, the current it girl top, and the current marketing (that is clearly working). i also can’t help but criticize the pieces in my wardrobe, rather than just repurpose them, and make new outfits. one flop outfit and the top i wore is up on my depop in the name of spring cleaning… this has me wondering how to develop my personal style, where i’m at now.
my hesitancy towards developing a set personal style is that i feel it’s always changing. what if i don’t like this piece i invested in next year? is the ever-changing nature of my style something i have to accept, in order to find my true style? but i can’t afford buying new clothes every season, and i really don’t want to. or maybe, i fell prey to the idea that we have to keep up with trends in order to be “in style.”
maybe, i’m too hard on my styling and the pieces in my closet. even in high school, i remember always feeling like i needed a new wardrobe. that feeling has persisted. why can’t i just be satisfied with the beautiful clothing that i have collected over the years? why am i still fighting against what i naturally like to wear? i think i just haven’t found the right recipe.
when the fit is just right, and you’re comfortable. like your pants sit on your shoes right and the crop isn’t doing too much. and the accessories aren’t the star of the show, you are. maybe, i just need to find balance. but it feels like when i step out of my comfort zone or try to repurpose those over-worn work pants i shunned, i flop.
i am attributing a combination of the trend cycle, media, and comparison as the reasons why my personal style is taking a beating. advertising and marketing are trapping my subconcious and the more i see a trend, the more my brain is accepting and liking it. marketers are getting stronger and smarter. while i love this for them, i must actively free myself. the sheer amount of ads we are subject to on a daily basis is definitely more than we are consciously aware of.
that, coupled with my bad habit of indulging in comparison can’t be helping. social media, instagram specifically, has me tripping. not only am i comparing my journey to others, but i’m taking note of how put together and cunty they look while doing it. it has me thinking “i am simply not achieving like they are” when in reality, we must remember that we all have our own paths, just like we all have our own styles.
moving forward, i am focused on investing in pieces, rather than just buying clothes. pieces that i can hopefully hold onto (through my mass depop uploads) and eventually pass on. a borrowed sweater from my grandma’s closet is one of my favorite pieces. we need to hold onto this tradition. hopefully in the future, my personal style is one that feels wholly like me, with a few trendy items becoming a part of my permanent rotation. i’m accepting the fact that trends from not that long ago will inevitably return- even though i sold off all my peplum tops, here they are back again.
how would you describe your personal style as a Spotify daylist? mine would probably be something like “neutral mama cozy sunny thursday afternoon.” i don’t know why but thursday just makes sense.
P.S. i wrote this back at a time when i was struggling with figuring out how to dress for work, without sacrificing my personal style. i was constantly on pinterest, and it caused a lot of confusion. since then, i’ve limited my pinterest use, and have let my natural style radar take over. i put on the first outfit i think of, and i feel so. much. better. listen to yourself! i stopped letting outside trends and sources dictate style. i stopped trying to dress for work, and just started wearing my normal clothes, lol.